Jon Terry Allison's Roots

Back in 1675, a man was born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland by the name of John Allison. He grew up and married a Scottish gal by the name of Jennet Helmer. One day, they decided to come to the British Colonies and settled in Lancaster County in the Pennsylvania Colony. They had 7 children, one of whom was named William Allison. They were Presbyterians.

Their son, William Allison was also born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland settled in the same Lancaster County area and married a lady name Grizzell and they had 6 children, one of whom was named John Robert Allison.

John Robert Allison was named after his grandfather John and his uncle Robert. He married a lady whom they called “Mattie” and they had 14 children together. They moved away from Lancaster County and made their home in Hillsborough, North Carolina Colony. One of their children was named Joseph H. Allison.

Joseph H. Allison was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War and helped secure America’s freedom. He married three times and had 17 children in all. He and most of his family moved to White County, Tennessee, but left behind his son, Joseph Stuart Allison who chose to stay in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Joseph Stuart Allison was a General in the North Carolina State Militia. He married a lady whom they called “Patsy” and they had 11 children, one of whom was named John James Allison.

John James Allison became a Medical Doctor and moved to Comanche County, Texas. They called him Dr. J.J. Allison. He married a lady named Mary and they had 9 children together, one of whom was named William L. S. Allison.

William L.S. Allison was a member of the Texas Rangers Frontier Battalion in Brownwood, Texas. He married a lady named Julia. They moved to Hattieville, Arkansas and one day after going to the general store, William never came home. It was thought he was killed by the Indians, but no one knew for sure. William and Julia had one child named John Washington Allison. The Allison family tree almost ended right here. But God had a plan.

John Washington Allison lived in Hattieville, Arkansas, married a lady whom they called “Cassie” and they had two children together, one of whom was my grandfather Terry Francis Allison. My brother Jon bears his middle name. John Washington Allison remarried and had 6 more children with his second wife whom they called Lizzie. They all lived in Arkansas at the time.

Terry Francis Allison met his wife, Ollie, my grandmother in Arkansas. They had four children together, Eva Dean, Betty, Billy Joe and Nancy. Eventually, they moved to Arroyo Grande, California and they all had children of their own. Billy Joe married my mother Donna at a very young age and their marriage did not last long. Only a year or two in fact. However, this was meant to be.

It is strange how God has a plan for all of us.

When I think about my great-great grandfather William L.S. Allison going off to the general store and never coming back, I have to wonder… what if he didn’t have his son John Washington Allison before he died? He was an only child. The Allison family would have ended right there, but God had a plan.

My maternal grandmother Ollie is pictured above along with my grandfather Terry. Her father Francis Utley fell off a wagon and died from a broken neck when he was only 22. His wife, my great-grandmother Nancy was pregnant at the time with my grandmother Ollie who ended up marrying my grandfather Terry Allison. They had a son name Billy Joe Allison who was Jon, Tami, Kelly and my father. What if Ollie’s mother was not pregnant at that precise time? The Allison family would have ended right there and I would have never existed. But God had a plan.

What if my mom didn’t get that divorce from Billy Joe Allison, then all the children and grandchildren that have followed would have never existed, but God had a plan.

God’s plan was for Billy Joe Allison to marry Margaret Bryson, the woman he was meant to be with. Bill and Margaret had three children together. Tami, Jon and Kelly. God’s plan was that he wanted Tami to be born along with her children Alyssa and Teri. Also included in God’s plan was Kelly and her 3 children Devin, Jace and Joe plus, Devin and Jace’s 5 children. And, of course, God wanted Jon to be born so he could marry Dena so they could have their son Riley (pictured left).

It is at times like these that we tend to question things. Why did this have to happen? Why did Jon have to die at this young age of 54? It was simply, God’s plan. Jon had an effect on all of us and he will continue to have an effect on us for as long as we live. We will cherish his memories and remember the times we had with him. His imprint on our hearts will be everlasting. He had a lot of friends that I met at his Celebration of Life. It was an honor to meet them. Especially, Casey, Todd, Terry, Dean, Darrin, Phil, Scott, Brian F., Martin, Scott, his brother Brian and the many others.

Well over 20 years ago, I wrote a letter to my Aunt Betty wanting to meet my sisters, Tami, Kelly and brother Jon. I thought it was pretty stupid to have two sisters and a brother out there somewhere and not have a relationship with them. Well, we all met way back then and it is one of the best decisions that I ever made. We kept in touch ever since until fate intervened. My sister Tami passed away in 2014 at the age of 53 and now Jon at age 54.

Jon (pictured left) and I went fishing together one time and I had not been fishing in a while. I caught a 2lb 2oz bass and man oh man, I was so proud of myself. But, Jon, being the expert fisherman that he was, promptly reeled in a 5lb 5oz bass and put me to shame! He got his picture in the paper! If you ever want to feel puny. Put a 2lb bass up next to a 5lb one.

Those of you who knew Jon know he was good as gold. His friend Todd told me they talked about his belief in God. He was a believer. He loved to play golf and fish and he was very proud of his son Riley and loved Dena more than she probably knows. But, the one that he loved the most was of course was Whoopi. Whoopi liked to play golf and go fishing, too. I think I have about 500 pictures of Whoopi in my iPhone that Jon texted to me. Pictured to the left are me and Dena, Jon's sweet wife and of course, Whoopi at Jon's Celebration of Life event.

This will give you goose bumps. The last day I texted Jon was on the anniversary of our dad’s death, February 19th. I had Photoshop-ed an old picture of our dad in his Arroyo Grande police uniform and I wanted him to have it. I was going to surprise him soon, because until recently, my name was Richard Allison Johnson, but on April 3^rd, I changed my name back to the name I was born with, Richard Mark Allison. I told Jon that I was thinking about doing it awhile back, but I wish I would have told him that I actually did it. This is my silly regret.

My sister Kelly asked me if I wanted to go to a San Diego Padres game after Jon's Celebration of Life event. She didn’t know that me and Jon went to a Padres game together. I have to think Jon arranged that baseball game for us. He knows how much I love baseball and Kelly, too.

Anyway, I have rambled on enough. Just wanted to let each and every one of you know that God has a plan for all of you. You are all very important to your family and all the descendants that will follow in your family tree. Just look what has happened since John and Jennet Allison came to the Pennsylvania Colony way back in the late 1600’s. It is simply amazing and of course, God's plan.

Thank you and God Bless you.

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